The Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana this year coincides with the start of school, prompting staggered school opening dates around the Capital Region.

The Jewish holiday, the first of the High Holy Days in the fall, begins at sunset Wednesday. Celebration customs include prayers, sounding the shofar — a hollowed-out ram's horn — and eating sweet foods. Since the Jewish calendar is a lunar one, the holidays do not fall on the same date every year.

This week, some schools open for the school year Wednesday, close Thursday and resume classes on Friday.

Those include the Saratoga Springs, Shenendehowa and East Greenbush school districts and Tech Valley High School in Rensselaer.

"Our students come from 33 school districts," said Tech Valley Principal Dan Liebert. "Tech Valley has 120 students with a good representation of religions. We make the decision based on the needs of our staff, faculty and students. It is important to recognize all celebrations."

Elsewhere, Rensselaer students start classes on Tuesday and Schenectady on Wednesday. They continue through the rest of the week without a holiday break.

Others put off the first day of classes until after Rosh Hashana. Troy starts Thursday; North and South Colonie begin Friday and others, such as the Albany and Niskayuna school districts, begin the school year on Sept. 9.

The state does not mandate closing or opening dates for religious holidays, leaving the decision up to individual districts. "School districts make their own calendar," said Antonia Valentine, media relations specialist at the State Education Department, in an email. "The law requires 180 days of instruction."

Rabbi Ron Cashman and his family live in Albany. His three children, now grown, attended Albany High. "We used to ask permission for them to be excused for the Jewish holidays," he said. "Nowadays, school districts are more attuned to the holidays of the minority students in their districts."

Cashman grew up in Newburgh, in which schools did not close for Jewish holidays.

"Calendars are put together in February," Cashman said. "You need to advocate for yourself and those putting together calendars need to be proactive, too. It works both ways."

Christmas, which falls during a time when most schools are on a week-plus break, has become secularized in America. Religious commitment is down and the number of the religiously unaffiliated is up. Still, most school district calendars list Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu holidays, and administrators are aware some parents may call to say their children will not attend school for a religious observance.

Many immigrants choose to celebrate their religious holidays and share them with others, believing religious holidays create awareness in students and teach respect for others' observances.

Recently, Hindus called on the New York City Department of Education to establish Diwali, the festival of lights, as an official holiday for city public school students.